QdK glad he missed ‘ridiculous’ India Tests

South Africa wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock says he was happy to miss the Test tour to India last year, looking back on it, given how difficult the 'ridiculous' pitches were to bat on.

The Proteas lost that Test series, their first defeat away from home in nearly a decade, and De Kock says now that he was pleased to be on the sidelines as the result made him look good by omission.

De Kock told Cricbuzz while in India for the IPL: "After seeing the kind of pitches that were prepared, I was actually quite happy I wasn't playing.

"I think they saved my career. To be honest, some of those pitches looked ridiculous. I am glad I missed those Tests."

While all the batsmen, from both sides, struggled in the series of low scores, the Proteas were just a little bit worse against India's superior spinners. But De Kock took umbrage to the idea that his team's batsmen were technically bad against slow bowling.

He said when it was suggested that he was one of the better proponents: "I am actually one of the worst players of spin.

"There's no way that Hashim, AB (de Villiers), JP (Duminy) and Faf (du Plessis) are not better players of spin. They got out to spinners. So what?

"If they get out to seamers, you can't say that they can't get the seamers away. Just because they couldn't do it in India doesn't mean they can't get on top of spinners.

"It's like (saying) Indian spinners are only good bowling in their country. Once they come out of their country, they don't perform as well. It's the same thing."